Self-Assessed Disability and Self-Rated Health Among Rural Villagers in Peru: A Brief Report

Context: Risks for poor self-rated overall health in rural areas of developing nations have not been thoroughly investigated.Purpose: The objective of this study was to assess potential risk factors for poor self-rated health among rural villagers in Peru.Methods: A door-to-door survey of villagers residing in the Pampas Grande region in Peru, which is in the Andes Mountains, yielded complete data for 337 adults.Findings: Adjusting for age and gender using multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that having self-reported disabilities was inversely and independently related to good self-rated health (OR 0.48 [95% CI, 0.26-0.88]). Joint pain also was related to self-rated health (OR 0.23 [95% CI, 0.13-0.41]).Conclusions: Increasing access to affordable, effective analgesics may reduce this disparity. Health agencies should consider these actions as possible planning priorities for the region.